Golf writer & photographer. Author of ‘Hooked’, the most comprehensive guide to Ireland's golf courses, and ‘Driving the Green’. Published by Collins Press. Editor for Destination Golf Ireland, feature writer for Irish Golfer Magazine freelancer for Irish Examiner. Golf is in the blood. http://www.kevinmarkhamphotography.com

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Golfers ‘Rock and Hole’ Holywood Golf Club

There are plenty of charity events going on in golf
clubs around the country and trying to find ways to make them attractive is one
of the big challenges.So ‘Golf and
Guitars’ makes a bit of a splash, doesn’t it!

The event in question will be taking place at Holywood
Golf Club, where local superstar Rory McIlroy learned his trade, on 19 May '17. Golfers will tune up and tee off against a mix of celebrities
and well-known local musicians, and the proceeds will go towards the Mary
Peters Trust, to help the budding sports stars of tomorrow.

Mary Peters and Andrew Hollywood

Already stars like Brian McFadden and Keith Duffy from
Boyzlife have confirmed their participation at the event.

‘Golf and Guitars’ is being organised in association
with online golf booking site GolfNow, and a number of other well-known local
businesses including leading motor company Charles Hurst Group, taxi firm
Fonacab and public relations specialists Duffy Rafferty Communications have
also lent their support to the event.

Golf will be played during the day, followed by a live
music gig in the evening, featuring ‘The Band of Hackers’… a one-off
collaboration that will include local session musicians and possibly a few
famous guests.

A team of four costs £140 for the ‘Golf and Grub’
package, with the full ‘Golf, Grub and Guitars’ package (which includes the
evening gig) costing £180 per fourball… so basically an extra tenner each.

The 8th hole at Holywood.

For anyone wanting to play a solo round, individual
places are also available at a cost of £35 (or £45 including gig) – while music
fans who don’t play golf can attend the live gig only for just £15 per ticket.

Spaces are still available but golfers are advised to
register their interest by contacting event coordinator Paul Kelly on prckelly@googlemail.com.

Gillian Hetherington of the Mary Peters Trust
said: “Golf and Guitars is a great event for a great cause, bringing the
worlds of music and golf together to support thousands of talented young sportsmen
and women, both able bodied and disabled, from across Northern Ireland, and to
help them realise their sporting dreams through the Mary Peters Trust.

“Whilst a lot of people would never link the worlds of
golf and rock music, there are plenty of musicians who are handy with a golf
club, from rockers like Alice Cooper, Neil Young and Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters,
to the likes of Justin Timberlake, Niall Horan and even rapper Snoop Dogg.

Views over Belfast

Olympic champion Dame Mary Peters added: “We’re really
looking forward to the first ever Golf and Guitars event… We are so grateful to
everyone concerned that the proceeds will go towards our ‘Race to a Million’
campaign which will enable us to continue helping our many talented young
athletes towards sporting success for years to come.

“Finally, I’d like to say a big thank you to our
sponsors GolfNow, Charles Hurst, Fonacab and Duffy Rafferty Communications
whose support is invaluable in helping us to run this event,” concluded Dame
Mary.

Since it was founded in 1975, the Mary Peters
Trust has helped over 5000 sports people in Northern Ireland, including Carl
Frampton, Graeme McDowell, David Humphreys, Paddy Barnes, Michael Conlan, Kelly
Gallagher, Michael McKillop, Janet Gray and Katie Kirk.

Andrew Hollywood, Marketing Director, International
for GolfNow, said: “We are proud to sponsor the first annual Golf and Guitars
event in support of the Mary Peters Trust. The areas of sport and music
are great unifiers and, time and time again, we have seen how our home grown
stars, from Carl Frampton and Rory McIlroy to Van Morrison and Snow Patrol,
have brought everyone together and made us all proud to be from Northern
Ireland.